The governments of Maldives and the United States of America have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the “Fulbright Academic Exchange Program”

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid signed the MoU on behalf of the government of Maldives while US Ambassador to Maldives, Alaina Teplitz signed on behalf of the government of US at the ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

A Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG) was also signed between the governments of both countries during the ceremony.

Following the MoU signing, the DOAG was signed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel on behalf of the Maldivian government while USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman signed on behalf of the US Agency for International Development.

First signed in 2003, the Fulbright Exchange Programme Agreement between both countries has been extended to a further five years.

The MoU aims to promote the mutual understanding between the people of both countries through wider exchange of knowledge, through educational activities.

The US government will be committing USD 3 million to the government of Maldives through the DOAG.

It focuses on improving the resilience of individuals and communities to drive inclusive and sustainable development.

The ceremony was joined by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials from the Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo.